The Outsiders



The Outsiders

The Greasers Help Each Other

English 9 Name___________________________________

Introduction: Child abuse is a widespread problem in American and throughout the world. In the novel The Outsiders, Johnny is a victim of child abuse. Many children suffer from problems like Johnny every day, and fortunately there are many agencies in the world that work to help young victims of child abuse. In this activity you will be a Greaser who wants to help your friend.

The Task: To help your friend, you will first visit different web sites to read more about the problems of child abuse and to find agencies that provide support for victims. Then you will write a letter to Johnny advising him about what he can do concerning the problems he faces with his family. You will include in your letter information that you obtained on the web. Remember, using the Internet is a privilege, and you are responsible for following the school’s acceptable use policy. If you find a web site that is inappropriate, notify your teacher immediately.

The process: Explore the Web, Gather facts, and Create a product

1) First, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website to learn the latest statistics about child abuse. Read the document and complete the questions on pages 3 -5 of this packet.

Child Maltreatment 2010

URL:

2) Next, use a search engine to find further facts and statistics specifically about teenagers and child maltreatment. Remember, Johnny is 16, so you want to make a convincing statement that he is not alone and that he can get help. Find at least five relevant facts.

3) After that, visit five websites of agencies that assist children who are abused or in need of help. While at each site, you want to write down the following information.

1. Name of Agency

2. Address

3. Phone number

4. Email address / website address

5. What services does the agency provide?

6. Who might choose to contact this agency?

7. Covenant House National Runaway Help

Parents Anonymous. Inc.

Bovsville (Michigan)

Children's Defense Fund

International Child Abuse Network

Stand up for Kids

Locally, Centre County Youth Service Bureau

Childhelp USA



4) Finally, now that you have learned more about child abuse, write a letter to Johnny offering him information and advice about the problems he has with his family. You need to convince him that his problem is widespread; he is not alone. You then need to offer suggestions on what he can do to get help. Include detailed information in your letter that you gained from your research.

There is more on the back . . .

How You Will Be Graded ~

At the end of this activity you will give your teacher the following:

• Notes from the Child Maltreatment 2010 document (the attached pages in this packet) 20 points

• Notes from an additional website(s) with at least five facts relevant to teenagers. (5 points)

• Notes from five child abuse agency websites, including answers to the questions about each site. (5 points)

• A friendly letter to Johnny that includes the following (20pts):

1. A heading (Dear Johnny,) and a closing (Sincerely, your name)

2. ONE PARAGRAPH with information about child abuse. Educate Johnny about the problems he faces, and that he CAN and SHOULD get help. Must contain five relevant statistics.(10 points)

3. ONE PARAGRAPH with advice about places he might contact for help (using the information you gained from the web) Must mention three places and include what type(s) of help each place offers. (5 points)

4. Correct standard written English (spelling, capital letters, punctuation, word order and usage) (5 points)

5. Typed neatly and signed.

Letter to Johnny project

Research on child abuse

Document: Child Maltreatment 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.



This is a 243-page book that summarizes the statistics from all 50 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Because the statistics take time to gather, analyze, and publish, the latest statistics are usually from two years ago. This source is considered to be reliable and authoritative on this subject.

Once you download the document, we will concentrate on pages vii – x, the section titled “Summary”

Overview (page vii)

1. What word is frequently used for “abuse” throughout this document? What do you know about this word?

2. What is the definition of child abuse and neglect?

3. What are the four main types of abuse:

a. _

b. _

c. _

d. _

How many allegations . . . (page viii)

4. Define the following terms:

a. referral

b. alleged

c. investigated

d. substantiated

e. unsubstantiated

5. How many referrals were made in 2010?

6. How many children were involved in the referrals made?

Who reported . . . (page ix)

7. Who were the primary reporters of potential abuse

a. _

b. _

c. _

8. Why do you think this is so?

Who were the child victims (page ix)

9. What age group is most vulnerable to abuse?

10. Which gender is more vulnerable?

11. What are the top three ethnic groups of victims? (place in order)

What were the most common types . . . (page ix)

12. The most prevalent type is __________________________ at _________ %

13. The next prevalent type is __________________________ at _________ %

14. The third most prevalent type is _____________________ at __________ %

15. Which type(s) is/are Johnny a victim of? How do you know?

How many children died . . .(page x)

16. How many total abuse-related deaths occurred in 2010?

17. What age group represents the largest percentage of abuse-related deaths?

18. Which gender has a higher percentage of abuse-related deaths?

19. What is the most prevalent cause of death (has highest percentage)?

20. Why should these statistics be concerning to Johnny?

Who abused and neglected children? (page x)

21. Biological parents are ___________ % of the perpetrators of abuse when the perpetrator is known to be a family member. Which parent, mother or father, is more likely to be the abuser?

22. Why do you think this is so?

Who received services? (page x)

23. Define

a. Prevention

b. Postresponse

24. What services are provided?

25. Who receives services?

26. Where are the services provided?

Comparing statistics and spotting trends: Look at the following chart that compares referrals and substantiated cases for the last five years’ Child Maltreatment reports from the Department of Health and Human Services.

|FFY (Federal Fiscal Year) |Referrals |Number of children involved |Substantiated cases |

|2010 |3.3 Million |5.9 Million |24.3 % |

|2009 |3.3 Million |6 Million |22.1 % |

|2008 |3.3 Million |6 Million |23.7 % |

|2007 |3.2 Million |5.8 Million |24.1 % |

|2006 |3.3 Million |6 Million |25.2 % |

27. What do you notice about the number of referrals over the past five years?

28. What trend do you notice about the number of substantiated cases? Does one year have a noticeable difference from the rest? What does this say about child abuse in general?

Continuing research: How does child abuse affect Teens?

Suggested search terms:

teen child abuse statistics

effects of child abuse on teens

long-term effects of child abuse

List at least FIVE stated facts about the effects of child abuse upon teens and/or adults. For each fact, document the source of your information.

Fact one:

Source:

Fact two:

Source:

Fact three:

Source:

Fact four:

Source:

Fact five:

Source:

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